Burney Willis Ballew |
Childhood and later years
Marriage and family
Death
The family and friends mourn the death of Burney Willis Ballew, on Saturday, February 14, 1998, following a heart attack and a stroke in his home in Mangum, Oklahoma, shortly before noon. Burney was taken to the Mangum City Hospital, where he underwent treatment before being declared dead at 1:05 PM CST. Burney was 78 years old. Burney's good friend, Mike Govitz, was with him when he died.
Burney's body was moved to the Greer Funeral Home, 235 South Pennsylvania, Mangum, Oklahoma, on Saturday afternoon, where it will lie privately until the funeral on Tuesday, February 17, at 10:00 A.M. in the First United Methodist Church, Mangum, Oklahoma.
Following the funeral, the coffin will be moved by road to the Riverside Cemetery, in Mangum, Oklahoma, for interment.
Childhood and later years
Burney Willis Ballew was born May 19, 1919, in Caddo County, Oklahoma, to Joseph and Joannave (White) Ballew. He was the 5th oldest in a family of six children.
Together with his elder brother, Troy, his elder sisters, Josephine, Lola and Ada Bee, and his younger sister, Beatrice, Burney was brought up in Mangum, Oklahoma. He was educated first at the Public School System in Mangum, before going to enroll at Oklahoma State University, in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Burney was unable to get a job in Stillwater to help him get an education, so he went to Tulsa, Oklahoma with his wife, Mary Etta (Harmon) Ballew, and his 6 month old baby boy, Ronald Willis. Burney was self-educated, learning radio and electronics repair, auto mechanics, and aircraft mechanics. Burney started out at 111 North Evanston, in a small frame house in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Eleven years later he moved to 6304 North Rockford, in Turley, Oklahoma. As best I can remember it was around 1960 that he moved to Tulsa, on South 32nd Street. After a divorce in 1970 and a marriage to Elsie Adams on June 12, 1972, Burney moved back to where he started from, Mangum, Oklahoma, when he retired from American Airlines at the age of 62. Burney and Elsie started a ceramic shop in Mangum which they ran for many years. While in Mangum Burney often played the role of Santa Claus at the town square community activities. Burney was behind the drive to restore the lighted fountains at each corner of the town square.
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Marriage and family
In 1940, Burney married Mary Etta (Marietta) Harmon of Mangum, Oklahoma. They were married in Mangum, Oklahoma. Hyman and Henrietta Russell were their best friends.
Burney and Marietta had three sons, Ronald Willis was born on July 27, 1941, Donald Ray was born on January 2, 1943, and Richard Allen was born in 1947, all in Tulsa, Oklahoma. They had one daughter, Patricia Ann, who was born on May 13, 1945.
Burney and Marietta were divorced in 1970. Burney stayed in Tulsa, and Marietta went to Houston, Texas.
Burney met Elsie Adams at the corner grocery store in Tulsa, where Elsie was a Checker. They were married on June 12, 1972 in Claremore, Oklahoma. Elsie has two daughters, Rowena Cerra, and Ramona Janeway.
Burney is survived by his wife, Elsie Ballew, of the home in Mangum; four children, Ronald Ballew and his wife Judy, of Lawton, Oklahoma, Donald Ballew, Patricia Jubera, and Richard Ballew, all of Garland, Texas; two step-children, Rowena Cerra and her husband Carmen, of Kansas City, Missouri, and Ramona Janeway and her husband Bob, of Shawnee, Oklahoma; one sister, Beatrice Freeman of Algonquin, Illinois; six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
Burney was preceded in death by his parents, three sisters, and one brother.
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